More than 10,000 children take on the Lidl Fit Factor!

More than 10,000 children across Northern Ireland have signed up to the Lidl Fit Factor – a fun competition designed to promote healthy eating and physical activity – developed by Lidl Northern Ireland GmbH and the Ulster Cancer Foundation (UCF).
 
The competition, which was launched in October 2008, saw 250 local schools register to take part. Schools that signed up to participate have now received a teachers’ toolkit and have until the end of February to complete the four week programme. 

‘’It’s a phenomenal response to the inaugural competition’’ says Elizabeth Lumsden from Lidl Northern Ireland GmbH: “We were astounded by the fantastic response that we have had to the Lidl Fit Factor Challenge.  250 schools is a wonderful figure by any standard and it’s also very reassuring to us as it shows a real need from teachers for a healthy lifestyle initiative like the Lidl Fit Factor.

“From Belfast to Ballymoney and from Omagh to Kilrea, participating schools are from all over Northern Ireland, and range in size from ten pupils to 400 pupils – so it’s sure to be a fantastic competition as schools all vie for the top prize of £5,000!”.

The four week programme is designed to help teachers educate children in Key Stage 1 classes about four key areas essential for healthy development: healthy eating, self expression, physical activity and creativity - thus increasing their chances of becoming healthy adults. 

The ‘healthy eating’ element of the programme has been given a quirky twist, as this section is contained within an interactive classroom resource.  The resource consists of two elements: a tutorial which educates children about the importance of a balanced diet and a game that gets the children to ‘shop’ for balanced meals by using the knowledge gained in the tutorial.  The resource is hosted by a colourful character the ‘Nutri Professor’ who teaches the children in a fun and engaging way about the various food groups.  The game is available to play at www.fitfactor.co.uk. The game is also a useful tool for children, parents and teachers who are not participating in the Lidl Fit Factor.

Joyce Savage, UCF, said: “We are thrilled that so many schools have taken up the Lidl Fit Factor.  It was designed as a fun way to introduce children to the advantages of good food and physical activity, which we know if adopted at an early age, leads to a healthy lifestyle later in life and reduces the risk of cancer by a third.”

The Lidl Fit Factor Challenge has a total prize fund of £11,000 and offers a top prize of £5,000.  Upon successful completion of the four week programme, the winning school from each county will receive a bonus of £200 for their school and will be eligible to be entered into the final of the Lidl Fit Factor Challenge with a great chance of winning the top prize of £5,000 or fantastic runners up prizes: 2nd place is £3,000; 3rd place is £2,000 and 4th place is £1,000 to be spent on sports equipment.

The Lidl Fit Factor is supported by local sports stars who will also act as judges: Olympic Boxing medallist, Paddy Barnes; Ulster Rugby hooker, Rory Best, and 2008 All-Ireland Senior Football Champion, Tyrone’s Sean Cavanagh. Belfast Telegraph sports editor, Steven Beacom, has also pledged his support to the programme in the coming months.

To find out more information on the Lidl Fit Factor visit www.lidl.ie or www.fitfactor.co.uk.